ending March 10
President George W. Bush.
Photo © Reuters.
Missed our stories? All the headlines for the week can be found here. Sparks fly in trust fund debate
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton has been on the job barely a month but the honeymoon is long over. The plaintiffs in the billion dollar lawsuit continued to build on their five-year-old case against the government and targeted Norton and others for what they called a "culture of fear and intimidation." Norton might end up in contempt of court just like her predecessor, they said. Government officials and top management are still trying to fix the historically mismanaged trust fund system but in their latest status report, they complained that the lawsuit was hampering their efforts. Get the Story:
Mona Infield: Indian Country's Linda Tripp? (3/5)
Interior to provide anti-retaliation evidence (3/6)
Norton's retaliation settlement rejected (3/7)
Report: Litigation threatening reform project (3/8)
Trust fund investigation continues (3/9)
Supreme Court makes first Indian strike
A unanimous Supreme Court make their first ruling affecting tribes this year and the result wasn't entirely good. Rejecting the arguments of the Department of Interior and tribes nationwide, the Court ruled that the Freedom of Information Act doesn't exempt correspondence which arises out of the government's trust responsibilities. As a result, seven documents addressing the water rights of several tribes in Oregon and northern California have to be turned over to a group of non-Indian property owners. How will the Court decide on its other Indian law cases? Make your bets now. Get the Story:
Supreme Court delivers blow to tribes (3/6)
Supreme Court: The 2000-2001 Term (3/6) more stories
There's still more to read in the recap of the top stories.